2007-06-07

Google SketchUp

SketchUp is without question our favorite piece of software here at Digital Urban. Its shear ease of use, combined with genuine useful and innovative tools and the ability to import/export to Google Earth makes it a must have download. Yet SketchUp has not generated the 'buzz' online that we thought it would - where is a SketchUp blog that's is as useful as say the Google Earth blog for example?

The video below provides a quick overview of SketchUp (Pro Version):

The fact that it is possible to download a free fully functional CAD program that could teach 3DMax a few tricks is a major step forward compared with a couple of years ago when CAD was limited to high end/expensive software. With this has been the development of the Google 3D Warehouse, another slightly undersung resource.

Time was that if you wanted a 3D model you had to go to the various online services and pay per download - with models of urban areas often attracting high prices. Googles 3D Warehouse has changed all this with a ever growing list of models and components ready to download and use - either in Google Earth, SketchUp or third party software such as BeLight's Live Interior 3D 1.1

The point of this post started out as a write up of the collaborative possibilities in linking SketchUp and Google Earth and the notable difference between Microsoft and Google's approaches to city modelling - but more on that soon. It ends in a simple question of why SketchUp has perhaps not got the user recognition it should and if you haven't already then to take half hour out to download it out try it out yourself.

Future posts on SketchUp include using your Nokia N95 and SketchUp to model your home or neighbourhood...

*Update*

As an update to this post it turns out Google launched their official SketchUp blog only last Friday. Typical, you write a post about the lack of decent blogs on SketchUp and then the official one comes along - check out theGoogle SketchUp Blog.